Name: Simple Southern Cornbread
Ingredients: 1 cup yellow cornmeal; 1 cup flour; 4 tsp baking powder; ¾ tsp salt substitute; 1 whole egg, beaten; 1 cup skim milk

Why it works: Flour and milk are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 14% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes. Both carry isobutyraldehyde, which smells malty, green. The science ↓

Simple Southern Cornbread

12 squares

Oven425°F

Time25 minutes

Ingredients

Directions

Make the batter

In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together.
Add the beaten egg and skim milk; mix well.

Bake and serve

Into a 12x8-inch pan, which has been sprayed with a nonstick vegetable coating, pour the corn bread dough.
Bake at 425°F for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Cut into 12 squares and serve warm.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

682Calories

27 gProtein

14 gFat

108 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 4 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Flour	1 cup (125g) all-purpose	455
Milk	1 cup (244ml) whole	149
Egg	1 large egg (50g)	78
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Flour + milktop 14% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together78,219 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Flour + eggtop 15% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together106,462 recipes

Shared aroma: isobutyraldehyde (malty, green).
Egg + milktop 18% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together88,785 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-nonenal (fatty, green).

Flour and milk barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 78,219 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Yellow cornmeal: Provides the main body and the characteristic grainy corn texture.
Flour: Forms the structure that holds the bread together as it bakes.
Baking powder: Releases gas in the batter, causing the cornbread to rise and become light.
Whole egg: Binds the batter and adds structure and richness as it sets.
Skim milk: Adds moisture and hydrates the dry ingredients into a batter.

The step that matters

Bake until a toothpick comes out clean. Cornbread can look set on top while the center is still wet. A clean toothpick shows the interior has finished setting, which prevents a gummy middle and dry edges.

“What each ingredient does” and “The step that matters” were written by Claude from this recipe’s own method and reviewed in samples by CompKitchen.

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Simple Southern Cornbread